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Major League Baseball’s East Division has seen more transmogrification and metamorphosis than Clark Kent in a phone booth.

What’s up, is down. The mighty have met their Delilah, and what’s old (See John Gibbons) is new.

The Yankees have gone from spendthrift to thrifty, from crafty to old and broken. Red Sox Nation splintered like a banana republic. In Baltimore, Buck Showalter is pulling rabbits out of a hat, along with wild-card playoff spots.

Oh, and the Blue Jays. Remember them? They once meant something in this country. In fact, there were a couple Octobers when they stopped traffic from Pincher Creek to Come-by-Chance.

Well, they’re back.

The Jays spent like Steinbrenner, transforming a club that has been stuck in neutral. Jose Reyes, Mark Buehrle and Josh Johnson fell off the back of Miami Marlins owner Jeff Loria’s turnip truck. That, and a deal that brought R.A. Dickey from the Mets, has given GM Alex Anthopoulos a shiny, new rotation.

Throw in Melky Cabrera and Maicer Izturis with the likes of Jose Bautista and Brandon Morrow and suddenly the Jays are a 15-4 pick in Vegas to win the pennant.Life hasn’t been this rich since Joe Carter touched them all in 1993.

Off-season baseball comes down to faith – a belief that your team will add the right pieces without spendng itself into oblivion.

Which bring us to the Yankees. Until the Dodgers surpassed them — building The Evil Empire: NL Division — they were baseball’s champion spenders for a dozen seasons. Yet, they won just one World Series (Jays’ fans might want to remember that).

Time and austerity are a double-edged sword. There was a time when, faced with injury or mediocrity, George Steinbrenner simply bought another part. The new ownership, facing similar adversity, settled for Lyle Overbay and Vernon Wells. Toronto fans know how well that worked out.

The farm system has been bled pretty well dry and all of the best free agents are sunning themselves in L.A. Derek Jeter will miss opening day. And people wonder why closer Mariano Rivera has migraine headaches.

For the O’s, kharma may become their worst enemy.

Baltimore, despite a rotation that ranked 21st in ERA, had a 29-9 record in one-run games last year, including 16 consecutive wins in extra innings. That kind of serendipity rarely strikes twice.

John Farrell’s Bosox dream job might include a few nightmares.

It’s difficult to imagine a worse season in Boston than 2012 when the Sox lost 90 games for the first time since 1966. Management plundered the Jays to get Farrell, then spent $60 million on free agents. But it was like shopping in Filene’s Bargain Basement. By adding Shane Victorino, Mike Napoli, Ryan Dempster and Stephen Drew, it’s difficult to know if they’re getting the genuine articles, or knockoffs. Victorino is 32 and coming off a down season. Dempster posted a 5.09 ERA with Texas last year after moving from the NL. David Ortiz, back for two years at $30 million, couldn’t run if someone yelled “Fire”, so he’s goin’ yard — or nowhere — and Napoli is playing with a bum hip.

This division is about parity. But none should match Toronto.

Which leaves Tampa. The Rays can match the Jays in Cy Young winners with David Price. They are very good defensively. Joe Maddon may be the best manager in baseball. And Evan Longoria is capable of MVP numbers.

Be afraid, Jays fans. Be very afraid.

PREDICTION (with 2012 record and standing)

1. Toronto (2012: 4th place 73-89)

Two springs ago, Toronto’s rotation featured Ricky Romero, Brandon Morrow, Brett Cecil, Kyle Drabek and Jesse Litsch. Only Morrow, who started that season on the DL, remains ...Beyond the hype there are questions: Will Jose Reyes’ knees hold up on turf. Can Brett Lawrie stop hurting himself? And, while few doubt they’ll pitch and hit, what about defence?

2. Tampa Bay (3rd, 90-72)

Won 90 games and missed the playoffs in 2012. The Rays can challenge Toronto if Wil Myers, when he is called up, plays like a rookie of the year, if Roberto Hernandez becomes the latest veteran to resurrect a career in Tampa, if Matt Moore pitches like it’s 2011 and closer Fernando Rodney is lights out ... Rays need another 90 wins to keep folks in God’s Waiting Room interested.

3. Baltimore (2nd, 93-69)

The rotation looks iffy but with Matt Wieters, Nick Markakis and Adam Jones they should score runs ... Free agency was a bit of a bust. There’ll be no bounce-back year from Mark Reynolds, who left for Cleveland, and they failed to land free agent Josh Hamilton. So, they’ll need every one of the 33 homers Chris Davis tapped last year.

4. New York (1st, 95-67)

There’s Robinson Cano, Ichiro Suzuki, Brett Gardner, CC Sabathia and, if they can get a few bodies out of sick bay, perhaps there is one last hurrah. Mariano Rivera and setup man David Robertson anchor what potentially can be a good bullpen — just not good enough to outlast the Jays or Tampa. On the other hand if everybody suddenly gets healthy, and everybody has career years, and ... Oh, never mind.

5. Boston (5th, 69-93)

Rookie outfielder Jackie Bradley Jr., was the best player on the roster this spring, batting .440 with four doubles, two homers, a triple, 12 RBIs and 10 runs. He led the Grapefruit League with a .521 on-base percentage and on the last weekend of spring training — despite being targetted for the minors — he had John Farrell contemplating starting him on opening day. So, it’s not all bad.

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AL East Preview: Be afraid, Jays fans

Major League Baseball’s East Division has seen more transmogrification and metamorphosis than Clark Kent in a phone booth.

What’s up, is down. The mighty have met their Delilah, and what’s old (See John Gibbons) is new.

The Yankees have gone from spendthrift to thrifty, from crafty to old and broken. Red Sox Nation splintered like a banana republic. In Baltimore, Buck Showalter is pulling rabbits out of a hat, along with wild-card playoff spots.

Oh, and the Blue Jays. Remember them? They once meant something in this country. In fact, there were a couple Octobers when they stopped traffic from Pincher Creek to Come-by-Chance.

Well, they’re back.

The Jays spent like Steinbrenner, transforming a club that has been stuck in neutral. Jose Reyes, Mark Buehrle and Josh Johnson fell off the back of Miami Marlins owner Jeff Loria’s turnip truck. That, and a deal that brought R.A. Dickey from the Mets, has given GM Alex Anthopoulos a shiny, new rotat